Gob Smacked

They totally did it this time.

They pulled off the ultimate surprise.

It was a normal Tuesday evening. We had a normal evening meal – just Jan, Buddy, Angel Girl and I . Dishes were done. I was settled on the couch reading when Buddy brought Jan in, followed by Angel Girl.

“We have a surprise for your anniversary,” they said as Jan settled in beside me.  “Wait right here while we go get it.”

(A surprise? But our anniversary was a few weeks ago. I told the kids not to get us anything!)

A few minutes later Dagmar walked in. (What? Girl you have class first thing tomorrow morning!)

Followed by Pedro. (Wait a minute? Don’t you work tomorrow at 7 am?)

Followed by Matt. (MATT!!! You’re supposed to be in Colorado? How did you get here?!!)

All of our children were home at the same time!

On a random Tuesday night.

How did this happen?

It was a surprise months in the making.

Matt drove 10 hours from Colorado, met his siblings in Des Moines and they drove home together, coordinating with Angel Girl and Buddy as they drove.

We were gob smacked.

Totally surprised.

Shocked.

Dagmar had to leave very early the next morning to get to class on time, but Pedro had a the next day off and Matt could stay for a few days.

It was so sweet.

So surreal.

From a quiet night on the couch reading to a room full of those I love most.

I kept asking Matt if he was real.

I almost wondered if I was dreaming.

But the laughter was real.

The smiles. The silliness. The teasing.

The ice cream and apple crisp around the table. (Buddy knew it was Matt’s favorite and made it for him that afternoon!)

We all stayed up way too late. Nobody wanted to go to bed. Nobody wanted it to end.

It was the ultimate surprise.

The prefect gift.

This mama’s heart couldn’t ask for anything more.